So this morning I tried something new. I went to a yoga class. Of course I should have been doing this years ago (according to my orthopedist) who recommended it. ‘Cause I have a bad back, see. Sciatica probably caused by years of playing basketball without stretching, playing golf without stretching, age, gravity.

Whatever.

The point is…my back has its aches & pains. So in order to slow down the general compression or irritation of one of five spinal nerve roots that give rise to each sciatic nerve, or by compression or irritation of the left or right or both sciatic nerves (completely swiped from Wikipedia), I went to yoga. And ya know what…it felt great. But there are a few things I learned from only one visit to the Hot Yoga class taught by my friend, Jennifer…

1. I’m outta shape.
Of course we knew that already.

2. I’m not a very flexible person.
I’ve known this for years but watching the women next to me bending their bodies into shapes that would normally be reserved for pretzels tends to make me even more aware of this fact.

3. I’m stressed out.
Walking into this heated room that was dimly lit and relaxing only makes me realize even more how much I mistreat my body and mind. Seriously…this whole “zen” thing has a point and I’ve missed it for my entire life. Maybe it’s time to learn how to truly relax and enjoy letting my mind go free for a bit…even if it is only for an hour. We shall see. I have 2 kids. And a job. And a mortgage. That tends to put a little bit of wear and tear on a person.

4. I need to eat healthier and drink more water
Yeah…I know…EVERYONE tells me this. From my wife to my friends to the health prognosticator that belches it out on Sunday morning infomercials. But the fact is, I eat crap ’cause it tastes good. Hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, smothered everything, beer, soda, you name it…I probably eat it so it’s on me that I’m in the shape I’m in. I need to eat more veggies and fruits and put away the other stuff. Hell…I LIKE veggies and fruits so why is it I can never seem to order it from the menu? Got me…

5. Yoga people are freakin’ ripped!
So me walking in like a bull in a china shop was different. Usually I’m the smallest person in the room but this morning I was the 2nd largest (there was a guy who was 6’4″ in the class so he was the biggest by default). But even THAT guy was lean & strong. The class did some ab work and left me in the dust. I need to work on my core and this was only a good example why people who do yoga are in some pretty damn good shape. Which is what brings me to my final point…

6. If I want to feel better, I gotta do it.
Everyone knows the therapeutic affects of yoga and I’ve been hearing about it for years and I can tell, if I do it, I will feel better. But I gotta do it! So here’s hoping I can find the time and the inner strength (and maybe a class that’s a little later than 6am) to get moving and get to a class.

So there you have it. I hope that I can stay motivated and get to a few more classes in the next couple weeks. At some point, it’s all on me so here’s hoping I can get to it and stick with it. But for now, I got work to do.